Wrapped in Ink

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  “Dear God, the amount of pregnancy hormones going on during that year.” Austin gave a full body shudder. “You’re just lucky that you were on deadline and holed up in your little writing cave during that time. That’s all I’m saying.”

  “Yeah, that was a lot of babies.”

  “None of my brothers have had kids yet, so I’m a little worried what’s going to happen when they become dads. They’re overprotective enough.”

  “How many brothers do you have?” Austin asked as he started working.

  The buzz slid into Liam’s ears, and he relaxed. He liked the feeling of the endorphin rush, the sound, and even the needle in his skin. It wasn’t like getting his blood drawn or even getting a shot. It was just a little pressure, a slight sting, over and over. The shading was his favorite part, maybe that made him a little bit of a masochist, but anybody who liked getting tattoos? They had that in them.

  “I have four,” she said, and Austin smiled, laughter in his eyes. He went back to work, and Liam relaxed under the somewhat pleasurable pain.

  “Talk to me when you have seven siblings.”

  “Seven?”

  “Yep. Seven.”

  “Bristol wasn’t kidding when she said that there were a lot of Montgomerys.”

  “Yeah. There are five up in Fort Collins. I think four in Boulder. And four down in Colorado Springs. Us Denver ones, we’re the larger group.”

  “And then when they all start having children?” Liam shuddered. “It’s like bunnies. So many bunnies.”

  “Well, it sounds like you guys are happy,” Arden said, looking over Liam’s shoulder as Austin worked.

  “Yep. We found our bliss.”

  “Where is Maya, by the way?” Liam asked, relaxing.

  “She wanted to be here for this, but both of her men and her kids are down with colds. That means she’s running hazard over the house. She not only didn’t want to bring germs in here, but two man colds and two kid colds? I do not envy her.”

  “God, that sucks,” Liam said.

  “Two men?” Arden asked. She asked as if she were intrigued and not judging, and Liam was glad for that. Not everyone in the world was understanding of Maya’s relationship, but the family was happy, and that’s all that mattered.

  Liam looked over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes. “One is enough for you, missy.”

  “So you say,” she said with a laugh. “My friend is in a ménage relationship, as well, so I just think it’s cool that there’s another one down here. Sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry. But remember, I don’t share.” And then he kissed her, and he heard Austin’s laugh even as he kept working.

  They talked for a bit more, but it didn’t take long for Austin to get the small fleur-de-lis finished.

  They went over aftercare instructions like usual, even if this was far from the first tattoo he’d gotten.

  And then he said goodbye to his cousin and the rest of the crew, and left a note for Maya and her men, even with a little signature from Arden because she was part of him now. It was kind of nice.

  They made the drive back up to Boulder, thankfully missing rush-hour traffic, both of them just talking about books and nothing in particular, just the way he wanted it.

  As they held hands, he looked down at their linked fingers for just a moment before shifting his gaze back to the road. And then he wondered how this had happened.

  How had he ended up with Arden?

  He hadn’t known that he wanted this. Hadn’t known it could become anything at all.

  But he was enjoying himself, and he was happy, and though things could change at any moment, and he knew damn well that they just might, he was going to live in the moment. And he was kind of excited to see what the next moment would bring.

  They pulled into Arden’s driveway and jumped out, Arden moving quickly because they had left Jasper alone for longer than they had planned.

  Jasper walked around the living room, leash in his mouth, and Liam just rolled his eyes.

  “Why don’t I go take him for a walk and let you rest for a bit?”

  Arden just narrowed her eyes. “I can go with you. I’m doing fine. Let me be.”

  “Okay,” Liam said, hooking the leash on Jasper’s collar.

  The dog barked twice, and then they were off, going for a walk as if this were something they did every day. As if this was their life.

  And Liam liked it.

  He liked it a lot.

  By the time they got home and started thinking about dinner, Liam wanted more.

  He’d had Arden next to him all day, and had only stolen a few kisses, a few touches.

  When he leaned down and took her lips with his, she moaned, and he knew he didn’t want to wait until after dinner.

  “Liam?”

  “I just want to kiss you.”

  “From the feel of you beneath the zipper of your jeans, I have a feeling you want more than kissing,” she said, biting his chin. “Are you sure you can with your tattoo?”

  He snorted, kissing along her neck, loving the way she arched into him. He loved nibbling on her neck, adored the fact that it was such an erogenous zone for her. He knew she’d be wet just from his touches.

  Because, damn it, he could practically smell her arousal, she was so pliant in his arms, so soft.

  He wanted to go slow, but he wasn’t sure he could. Not now. Maybe not even when it came to her in general. He wanted to give her roses and softness and delicateness. But there was no way he could. Not with her. He wanted to be wrapped around her, have her scent wrapped around him.

  He wanted everything.

  And it scared him.

  So, he pushed it from his mind and just gave in.

  “I got a tattoo on my arm, Arden. Not my dick.”

  “Really? It’s like I wasn’t sitting next to you when it happened or something.” She pushed his chest, and then leaned forward again to kiss him. “But I don’t know if I really want you to get your dick tattooed. It’s really pretty as it is.”

  “My dick is pretty?” he asked, slowly undoing the buttons on her blouse. Since she was working on his belt, he just grinned. They undressed each other slowly, even as they talked. And, damn it, he couldn’t wait to fuck her. Couldn’t wait to sink inside her and maybe go slow—but probably not. Just hard. Hard and fast and all his.

  That was his Arden. His.

  “Yes, I think your dick is pretty. Especially when it’s in my mouth.”

  “Look at you with the dirty talk.”

  “Hey, I read.”

  “So do I, but I don’t think I’m reading the right books.”

  “I’ll read them to you before bed if you want,” she said, sinking to her knees as she slowly wrapped her lips around him.

  He groaned, the feel of her warm mouth surrounding his cock so good that he almost blew his load right there. Instead, he slid his hands through her hair and rocked himself in and out of her mouth, one stroke, then two.

  She hummed along his length, and the vibration went straight to his balls, right to the base of his spine.

  And so he curled his toes, toeing off his shoes as he did so, and tried not to come right then. But it was so damn hard with the sight of Arden shirtless, her breasts bare and ready for his touch as she knelt, looking up at him with his cock slowly sliding in and out from between her plump lips.

  “Jesus, I can’t wait,” he said, pulling out. His dick was wet, and she pouted at him, but then she grinned as he lowered to the floor, helping her undo her pants. Then she was naked and on her back, her hands on her breasts, plucking at her nipples as he licked and sucked at her pussy.

  She had one leg over his shoulder, the other pressed down to the floor as she writhed under him. So, he put one arm over her waist, pinning her down, and used the other to spread her so he could get to her clit easier.

  “Liam,” she gasped. “Be careful of your arm.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be on top, less floor burn that way,”
he growled.

  “But what about me?”

  He hummed along her clit and then bit at it gently. And then he sucked, twisting his lips just right. She came, screaming his name.

  “I’ll be gentle,” he groaned, and then he was between her legs, holding the base of his cock as he slowly slid into her, meeting her gaze inch by inch, stroke by stroke.

  And when he hovered over her, slowly sliding in and out of her as she wrapped her legs around his waist, he leaned on his good arm and used the other to run his hand down her sides, hold her hips higher, and just be near her, touching her.

  She was so tight, so his, and so fucking perfect.

  He loved every inch of her, adored every scar, every bruise, every curve.

  He loved her body. And he had a feeling if he let himself, he could admit that what he felt was love. But he didn’t let that happen. Didn’t think about that. Because what if he lost her? What if she decided that he was too much? What if this was just her distraction?

  And as she came again, his thumb on her clit, he pushed those thoughts from his mind. This was their moment.

  He couldn’t think about anything else. He could only think about her and this moment.

  Just this moment.

  And then he came, growling her name, his lips on hers as he dove in for a deep kiss, slamming into her one more time.

  Just this moment, he reminded himself. And this moment was worth everything.

  Chapter 20

  Arden should have known that everything had been going too smoothly for the past couple of weeks.

  She had been immersed in her work, loving her job, adoring every single little detail, even the ones that made her eyes cross as she tried to cross-check the color of a side character’s eyes over eighteen books.

  But she loved it.

  She had spent almost every evening with Liam, either at her house or his. And Jasper had been along for the ride every time, finding his own space in Liam’s home.

  It was as if they had taken this next step and were a couple in truth, looking towards the future. It was just so odd to think that it was happening at all, that they were making things happen without stressing about it. They were just being themselves, and it was working.

  And Arden’s family was actually giving her some space, all the while being there when she needed them.

  They were getting along with Liam, and Liam even looked a little lighter than usual lately, as if he could finally breathe a bit after having talked with his mother.

  And Arden’s health was doing better. She had been feeling good, lately. Had even gone on a little jog with Liam, though not a long one. Okay, she had walked really quickly while he ran around the loop twice. She only did it once. And, yes, he had made the on your left joke from Captain America, and she had fallen just a little bit more in love with him after that.

  It was the perfect cherry on top after a really good couple of weeks.

  But she should have known it wouldn’t stay like that.

  Because how could it?

  She quickly rinsed out her mouth, brushing her teeth, and then went back to cleaning the rest of the bathroom after her sickness. She had thrown up three times that day and hadn’t been able to keep any food down.

  That was new for her. Something that hadn’t happened in a while.

  Her whole body felt cramped, but mostly her lower half, and she was getting a little worried.

  She hadn’t felt like this…ever, now that she thought about it. Were these new symptoms? Was she getting a flare to end all other flares?

  She didn’t know, but she was really tired of being sick.

  She had plans to meet with Liam later, and while the two of them planned to go out to dinner and then over to Ethan’s house for a movie, she wasn’t sure she had it in her.

  Her whole body just hurt.

  She took a couple of steps towards Jasper, who was giving her a very worried look, and she gagged, throwing her hand over her mouth before running back to the toilet and heaving.

  At this point, it was only dry heaves.

  She had nothing left in her stomach except bile. And wasn’t that pleasant?

  She let her body do its thing, and then cleaned up the bathroom again, brushed her teeth once more, and got a washrag from her linen closet so she could put it under some cool water for her forehead.

  God, she felt horrible.

  It was almost as if this sickness just came and went with no idea what it was doing.

  And then she froze, trying to do the math.

  When had she had her period last?

  She was highly irregular thanks to the lupus and her endometriosis. Those two things together were not fun.

  And her other acquaintances at the hospital and in the message boards with lupus tended to have endometriosis, as well.

  So, she couldn’t always rely on her period math to figure out if she was late or not. Because she was always late.

  But now, she was really late.

  She ran to the toilet again, dry heaved, and then sat on the floor, her head in her hands as she tried to figure out if she was indeed pregnant.

  She and Liam hadn’t talked about that. Yes, they had foregone condoms, but she was on birth control.

  But what if it wasn’t enough?

  Because condoms weren’t one hundred percent effective. And neither was birth control.

  “Dear God.”

  So, instead of going to the grocery store and picking up a test, she called her doctor.

  She might as well be entirely sure, and since she wasn’t feeling great as it was, she might as well see them and ask if it was part of her endometriosis, or maybe her lupus. Or perhaps she had a brand-new thing that was going to knock her on her ass.

  Why couldn’t she be happy?

  Why couldn’t she have just one pain-free month in her life?

  “And if you whine about it a little bit more, maybe it’ll help,” she whispered to herself.

  “I just need to breathe,” she said, letting out a breath.

  “Just breathe.”

  Her doctor was able to fit her in within the next hour because of a cancellation, so she quickly threw on some clothes, hugged her dog, and made her way to the hospital.

  All of her doctors were in the same big hospital near her house. She was grateful for that. She didn’t have to drive all over the city.

  But it also meant that waiting times to get in to her specialists were ridiculous.

  She was really grateful that she had been able to get in to her doctor for this.

  Maybe that was a good thing. Perhaps it meant that it was just a typical day feeling like crap where she would feel fine later.

  And if she kept telling herself that, maybe it would become true.

  She texted Liam to let him know where she was going but just said that she had a doctor’s appointment so she didn’t alarm him.

  He didn’t text back right away, and she figured that he was stuck in his writing cave. After all, he had the last parts of the book going. He probably wouldn’t have noticed if there was an actual fire in his home at this point.

  But that was fine. Arden didn’t really want to tell him more about what she was doing. Because what if she was just freaking out for nothing? She probably was.

  By the time Arden got to the room and talked to her doctor, she just nodded softly and went about asking questions and taking some tests.

  It took over an hour, but she was just lying there on the bed, still waiting for a text from Liam yet knowing that she was fine. Everything would be fine.

  “Okay, Miss Brady, we have news.”

  Arden sat up, her heart beating fast in her chest.

  “Yes?”

  “First, you’re not pregnant,” her OB/GYN said quickly, and Arden let out a relieved breath.

  “Thank God. I mean, not that babies aren’t great and everything, but we aren’t ready, I’m not ready. And with everything else going on…”

  “Yeah. We�
�re going to come back to that in a moment. But I’m going to let you know that we’re going to admit you. Not here, but on the other side of the hospital.”

  “Excuse me?” Arden asked, putting her hands over her stomach.

  “I thought you said I wasn’t pregnant. Is it just a bug?”

  “No, it looks like you might have pancreatitis. You’re going to be fine. But we’re going to give you some IV antibiotics just in case, and do some more tests that I can’t do here. Okay? But you definitely need some meds, and intravenous is the way to go, especially with your medical history and the amount of pain you’re in. I’m not your doctor for your lupus, but I’m sure you know that pancreatitis is a symptom.”

  “I get it. My body’s attacking my organs.” She swallowed hard and quickly wiped the tears from her face. She hadn’t even realized she was crying.

  Pancreatitis? Another fucking organ? She had been doing so well for so long, and now it was hit after hit. Why couldn’t she just catch a break?

  Her doctor handed over a tissue and gave her a slight smile, one that reached the doctor’s eyes but didn’t feel pitying.

  Arden loved her team, she really did. They listened to her and never told her that she had to lose weight in order to not feel pain. She was blessed with these people. And yet she wanted to punch something. She just wanted things to be okay.

  But it wasn’t okay. Her hands shook, and then another wave of pain hit her, and she pressed her lips together, trying not to throw up or feel like she just needed to cry and fall.

  “Okay, let’s talk for a minute, and then I’m getting you over there, okay? You’re going to be okay, Arden. Your other doctors can talk to you about this, can go into every single little detail you want. I just know this must be a lot for you. Your lupus has been acting a little aggressively for the past couple of months, and that happens. But you can get out of this flare, and then you can be perfectly fine. You know that. You were fine for years. Stable. We just need to get you out of this cycle, and then you’ll be okay.”

  Arden sniffed and wiped her face. “I know. It was my skin, and then my liver, and now, my pancreas?”

  “It’s all connected. You know this. And while I’m an OB/GYN, I can tell you that I have talked with your doctors, and they’re going to give you a full treatment plan. They have high hopes.”